Pricing decisions for complementary products with firms’ different market powers

This article reports the results of a study that explores the pricing problems with regard to two complementary products in a supply chain with two manufacturers and one common retailer. The authors establish five pricing models under decentralized decision cases, including the MS-Bertrand, MS-Stackelberg, RS-Bertrand, RS-Stackelberg, and NG models, with consideration of different market power structures among channel members. By applying a game-theoretical approach, corresponding analytic solutions are obtained. Then, by comparing the maximum profits and optimal pricing decisions obtained in different decision cases, interesting and valuable managerial insights are established.

► Pricing decisions of complementary products are considered in this paper. ► Five pricing models under decentralized decision scenarios are established. ► By applying a game-theoretical approach, corresponding analytic solutions are obtained. ► Different market power structures among channel members are considered.